How to Sleep Less: can you Train Yourself to Need less Sleep?

Quality sleep is essential to health and mental wellbeing. As you sleep, your body repairs itself, memories are stored, hormones are regulated, and energy is replenished. But, do you ever wonder how to train yourself to need less sleep? Some people say they can survive on less than six hours of sleep per night, but is it healthy? Let’s find out.  

A healthy adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maintain health

Table of Contents

• How Much Sleep do we Need 
• Is Sleeping Less bad for you?
• Can you Train Yourself to Need Less Sleep
• Tips on how to Train your Body to Need Less Sleep
• How to Stop Oversleeping 
•  Conclusion 

How Much Sleep do we Need  

A healthy adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maintain health. Sleeping less than that could be detrimental to the quality of your immune response. You may find you’re more susceptible to picking up colds or feel a lack of energy from not sleeping enough. When you’re recovering from illness or injury, you may need to sleep more than 9 hours to help your body heal. 

Sleeping less could lead to daytime fatigue, loss of concentration, lowered immune response

Is Sleeping Less bad for you?

If you’re wondering how to reduce sleep? It may be worthwhile to reconsider. Sleeping less could lead to daytime fatigue, loss of concentration, lowered immune response, and increased risk of diabetes and other illnesses. Sleeping less could cause some serious accidents, especially when driving or operating heavy machinery, or cause you to have an accident at home. Sleeping less can cause high blood pressure which puts a strain on your heart. While you may gain an extra couple of hours to work or play, the negative toll on your health is not worth it.    

Can you Train Yourself to Need Less Sleep

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) millions of Americans survive on less than 7 hours of sleep per night. You could train yourself to need less sleep, but your cognitive performance and physical health could suffer. Prof Jim Horne, a sleep expert and former director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University in England, in his research concluded that it is possible to sleep 6 hours per night and still function. But, a short nap during the day is required, and cutting back sleep is a gradual process that must be done slowly and carefully.

For most people, a daytime nap is impossible so sleeping less at night could have some negative side effects on physical health. As you drift into a deep sleep, the part of your brain responsible for language and thought goes into recovery mode. The most important factor is not how to Sleep Less, but how to sleep better. 

According to Prof Horne, if you spend your waking hours using a lot of brainpower, lateral thinking, and complex problem solving, you may need more sleep than the average person in order to repair. If you already feel like you don’t get enough sleep, aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. 

Wind down before bed with a bath or meditation

How to sleep less and better:

• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Get up at the same time every morning 
• Wind down before bed with a bath or meditation 
• Take a nap during the day between 12 pm and 2 pm

Tips on how to Train your Body to Need Less Sleep

How to train yourself to sleep less is aided by eating dinner earlier and avoiding late-night meals, and exercising earlier in the day.  

How to get by on less sleep:

• Wind down before bed
• Keep electronics out of your bedroom
• Don’t drink caffeine after midday 
• Limit alcohol intake 
• Use a white noise machine if you have trouble falling asleep 
• Keep a consistent sleep and wake time    

for many, training themselves on how to get used to less sleep is arduous and damaging to health

How to Stop Oversleeping 

Oversleeping could be the result of not getting enough quality sleep. If you find yourself tossing and turning all night, you may feel as if you need to stay in bed for an extra hour or two when you’re due to get out of bed. For some people, learning how to function on less sleep is easily achieved as some are more predisposed. But, for many, training themselves on how to get used to less sleep is arduous and damaging to health. 

How to get quality sleep: 

• Have the same bedtime and wake time
• Keep distractions out of your bedroom
• Exercise every day
• Enjoy the fresh air and fresh water every day 
• Destress with yoga or meditation 
• Take time every day to engage in activities you love, solve a puzzle, read a chapter of a new book, listen to your favorite music 
• Spend time with loved ones (or video chat) 

Want to know how to wake up early and energized? Learn, here. 

Conclusion 

Sleeping less at night is best achieved if you can take a daytime nap. But, for most people, this is unfortunately not an option. It’s inadvisable to sleep less than 7 hours every night because, during deep sleep, your body repairs itself, hormones are regulated, memories are stored, and health reinvigorated. Quality sleep leads to fun, active days, and a comfortable mattress can get you there.